The Astarte Chronicles
by LilAngelLady21
Summary: In the wake of the original Negaverse attack a guardian had to rise to defend the system. From the heart of a dying star she drew her power. With the help of a celestial guide and Sailor Pluto she began her mission. However, in the end, not even she was prepared for the evil that would befall them all... (This is not based on the character from the musicals)


_**Prologue**_

Somewhere beyond the furthest reaches of the starlight, beyond where the cold winds of the universe blow, where no one ever goes, that is where you will find me. When the others fall it is I who lifts up the light and carries it safely on. It is I who traps the darkness to ferry on to its source. I who keeps it from drifting back into the bright places of this small corner of the universe. When all others forget it is I who remembers. When all others die it is I who lives on. That is my duty and my destiny. That is my purpose as the system solider of the most powerful system in the universe... This wasn't always the case. Once upon a time I was a young lady, an aristocrat, with hopes and dreams of my own. Sure, I could never become queen, I was born to a branch of the royal family, not the main line. That was an anomaly in itself but no one seemed to talk about that much. It was the paradise age of the Silver Millennium. My eldest cousin had just become engaged to the Earth Kingdom Prince and a grand celebration was well under way. I was never much for parties so I wandered away to the labyrinthine gardens outside of the royal palace. That was my favorite place in all the worlds until our beautiful paradise was shattered all in that one fateful moment.

She sat in one of the plush white chairs of the grand ballroom. Around her everyone was dancing, laughing, and generally enjoying the celebration. She, however, was daydreaming out the window of the far of reaches of the kingdom. Her posture was terrible as she slumped sideways leaning on the window sill. She could hear a pair of women nearby whispering about her and how she seemed so out of place here. They said a few other things, mostly comparisons to her cousin but she stopped paying attention. Idle gossip about her at court wasn't uncommon. She was much the opposite of what people expected. She loved to read and play music, study in the library, or write historical documents. She abhorred the typical court life everyone else there seemed to relish with such vigor. She thought she saw someone, out of the corner of my eye, approaching me but she dismissed it. Why would anyone be coming to talk to her? She wasn't the girl of the hour.

"My Lady Anahita, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." A tall, dark-haired young man said to her after clearing his throat to get her attention. She turned to look up at him as he was considerably taller than me.

"I'm sorry," She replied as graciously as she could as she got to her feet, "I don't believe I recognize you." He smiled and the features of his face became illuminated. His blue eyes were deep and thoughtful as he studied her briefly. He reached out and took her hand in his before leaning down to kiss it gently.

"I don't suppose you would recognize me. You were so young when your family last visited the court at Earth." She instantly knew who he was and felt just a bit crushed. She had so hoped that someone would save me from the drudgery but alas it was not meant to be.

"Ah! Prince Endymion! Of course!" She replied pretending to be excited. "Please forgive me!" She added curtsying in the traditional fashion. "It is an honor to have a noble young man such as yourself joining our family!" I added in the expected way.

"I heard from a trusted source that you are quite the pianist. Would you please honor me with a song?" His smile still held despite her quizzical look.

"Now?"

"I think it would be the perfect distraction to all this idle chatter, don't you?" He gently pulled her out of her corner and through the crowded ballroom to the musicians. She could hardly object to my future king so she begrudgingly allowed him this amusement at her expense.

"Annie! Are you going to play something?!" The Princess exclaimed excitedly as she rushed over to the piano.

"If it would please you and your betrothed." She replied courteously before taking a seat at the piano. She gently caressed the keys before pressing one down gently, checking the tuning and tone. She looked around slowly, keenly aware that all the nearby party-goers were staring at her. Suddenly, her fingers burst to life and a beautiful and haunting melody filled the space. One by one the party-goers fell silent as her0 voice began to resonant powerfully with the notes until it filled the whole space.

"If I could write a song from my soul/ About our love/ It would never describe my feelings/ Because words just can't come close/ To this emotion inside of me/ And everything that you do and say/ So this is the best I can do

I can't say the words in voice/ I can't write them on paper/ Because they don't do justice to this/ Nothing can but you/ Because this love means more than I can say

If I could talk to the stars above/ I wouldn't be able to make them/ Truly understand this feeling/ That I always have with you/ They would never truly know/ Unless they could read my heart and soul/ To see this emotion inside of me/ But even if they didn't truly understand/ I would explain as best I could

I can't say the words in voice/ I can't write them on paper/ Because they don't do justice to this/ Nothing can but you/ Because this love means more than I can say

Actions speak louder than words anyways/ So if I can't tell the world/ I'll show them all the depths of our love/ But every day I'll still sing my song/ To try to explain to all the world/ That our love is more than feelings/ More than emotions and words

I can't say the words in voice/ I can't write them on paper/ Because they don't do justice to this/ Nothing can but you/ Because this love means more than I can say/ Then I can say

I went on a journey, it lead to you/ On it I found my heart and soul/ And they were laying inside of you/ Everything you do for me is so indescribable/ And I can't say exactly how / I'm just glad I found you now/ I don't know how our love lead me right to you/ This is the best that I can do

I can't explain so I won't even try/ This song is the best I can do/ Because this love means more than I can say/ Than I can say…"

The whole room was eerily quiet as she drew the song to a close. The Princess looked at her cousin teary-eyed as she embraced the young woman tightly. "That was beautiful she whispered."

"It certainly was…" I thought to myself as I moved closer to the pair.

"It was hardly worthy of such an auspicious audience as this." She replied gracefully as her cousin broke the embrace. "Thank you for the honor." She added as she got up and curtsied. "Musicians! The happy couple should enjoy a dance! Please do us the honor of a waltz!" She cried diverting attention away from herself and off to the Prince and Princess. The conductor smiled gleefully before strumming up a waltz and once again the ball room was a buzz.

"She doesn't attract attention very often but when she does, she is simply captivating. Don't you think so?" One of the women near to me whispered to another.

"Truly she has royal blood in her veins. How fortunate she isn't very ambitious lest we have a power struggle at court on our hands!" The other woman replied in a gossiping tone. They both laughed knowing that the young woman in question would never try to disrupt the royal succession. I had to agree with them on one point, she was enchanting… I lost myself for a few minutes as I watched her leave the ballroom. So much so that it didn't dawn on me immediately that she was leaving. When it did occur to me I had to scramble to catch her. I had been sent there with a mission and it had to be fulfilled tonight. Although I was unsure why tonight, of all the nights in her life, I had to bestow upon her the heavy burden of her ascension. By now, however, it was becoming clear to me that she probably wouldn't mind…

I sat blissfully at the edge of the fountain centered squarely in middle of gardens. It was a white marble fountain with streaks of black throughout. Almost every structure was white or gold from the granite and travertine walkways to the Palace spire which jutted into the sky. This was the Moon Kingdom, after all, shining beacon in the darkness. High hedges surrounded the fountain which gave it a very secluded feeling. They were in the shape of a square with an opening on each side. There were also huge stone planters full of various flowers in each of the corners which gave off an intoxicating and soothing aroma. I ran my fingers over the surface of the water lazily and pondered why my hair was a different color than everyone else in my family. The only way you could tell I was from the royal family was by the long flowing gown I wore. Mine was light pink which didn't really go well with my slate blue hair. A long white ribbon just under my bust that reached almost to the ground acted as an accent. But that was the code that had been established in this era. I did have the same blue eyes as my cousin though. We had matching necklaces and bracelets too only mine was dark blue. But that's where the similarities ended. She is a bright and beautiful star at court and I am like the dark side of Earth; everyone knows it's there but never sees it.

I sighed long and tiredly as I looked up to the Palace. You could just see the utmost tower over the hedges but that didn't really tell me if the party was still going on or not. It was getting late and dark, soon I would have to go back but for now, now I could be alone. I never fully understand how she could thrive in court life and I felt stifled and caged. She never wanted to leave, never had a reason to anyways. Everyone always wanted to come to her, to see her. Me on the other hand, I was growing tired of this place and its dull monotonous tone of life. Every day the same: the same routine, the same wardrobe, the same melancholy memories of how my life used to be. My parents were ambassadors and we used to travel to all the planets and see all the sites. We used to visit all the temples and talk to all kinds of people. I had met all the Princesses long before they ever came to the Moon.

It wasn't easy being the niece of the Queen. My mother and father died of illness while on Neptune a few years ago. Ever since then I have been under the care of my aunt. I could tell she cared about me, she tried to make it clear to me from time to time. She was always so busy though that it was hard for me to feel like I was really part of the family anymore. Today, today was supposed to be a celebration of my cousin getting engaged to the Prince from Earth. Yet, here I was alone and I doubt anyone realized I had gone. If they would just let me drop the charade and fade into the background I would be perfectly happy to do so. It's just so taxing every day. They wouldn't even let visit the rest of the kingdom! Auntie would always say, "I'm just so afraid of losing you too!" I know she means it but it's still so frustrating. All I really wanted, was to be by myself away from the glare of the stark white prison the Palace and its grounds had become.

After some time had passed I kicked off my shoes, with their short heel and dyed to match my dress. I laid down on the wide edge of the fountain waiting for the guards to come find me like they always did. I had almost fallen asleep when the ground started to tremble slightly. I thought it was a dream at first until the trembling became more violent. I got up slowly and looked around concerned. As I gazed up to the palace I realized there was smoke rising from somewhere below the high spire. I stood there froze in place unsure what to do or think. "What's going on?" I wondered over and over again with no answer to be had. After what felt like a lifetime, I managed to push my shoes back on and forced myself forward through the garden. As I rushed through the garden I found a small white creature huddled under a planter that had toppled over in the tremors. It was a small white dog with no collar and a star mark on its forehead. I scooped the creature up into my arms and made for the edge of the gardens. It was flat and open between the gardens and the white stone wall surrounding the palace. The closer I got, the darker and smoke got and the more violent the shaking became. I had almost made it to the gate when a brilliant flash blinded me and forced me to the ground. When I looked up a moment later all was eerie and silent. I got to my feet as fast as I could ran through the gate. I skipped to an abrupt stop on the blackened and broken travertine walkway. The courtyard and Palace were in ruins with fires burning sporadically throughout my field of vision. Yet, there was no one to be seen. Suddenly, I saw a pale figure crumbled on a pile of debris.

"AUNTIE!" I screeched as I started running towards her. Weakly she pushed herself up and looked at me. As I drew closer I realized she had a completely mortified look on her face.

"Why are you still here?" She choked out clearly distraught, tears streaming down her face. She weakly reached out to me and I collapsed on her chest. "You must have been too far away…" She whispered burying her face in my hair. "I'm so sorry my Dearest Anahita… I failed to protect you as I did all the rest."

"What happened Auntie?" I sobbed as I hugged her tight.

"We were ambushed by a force we could not hope to defeat. So I summoned all my strength to banish them and send everyone to a happy rebirth on Earth. Then I shattered the Silver Crystal and sent it on. Everyone is gone but us Annie…" She started sobbing again. "You have to go before all the power is gone and try to use the teleporter to get to Earth."

"But what about you Auntie? And what happens if this evil force returns? How will we fight them if we couldn't defeat them now?" I sobbed lifting my head and grasping her hand in mine. Her grip was weak and I could tell she wouldn't last much longer.

"I have no right to ask this of you…" She began cupping her free hand around my face. "You must gather the Heartstones of the planets and take them to Earth. The Heartstones will allow the Princesses to fight with the power of their planets. I fear only then will we truly be able to defeat the foe which attacked us today."

"I'll do it! Gladly Auntie!" I whispered kissing the heel of her hand. It seemed to get colder with each passing second. It slid slowly down to her chest and she looked up at me with a peaceful look on her face.

"Before you go I must tell you one thing. I truly loved you like my own daughter Annie… I just… I never fully understood you or what made you happy. I'm sorry I never tried harder when I had the chance. You are strong and you can survive on your own. That's why I know you can do this. I am so very proud of you and I love you." Her voice got weaker as she spoke and her eyes drifted closed slowly.

"I know Auntie. I know everything you did was because you love me. I love you too!" I gently sat her other hand down on her chest and there she laid looking as serene as the clear night sky backdrop that had settled over the land. I couldn't dwell on the bittersweet image long as the small dog started barking. I had completely forgotten about the little thing in my haste and shock. But it was correct, I had to go before the teleporter ran out of power. I raced through the Palace as fast as I could while the lights flickered and started to dim. Finally I came upon the door that I was never allowed to go through. Unfortunately, it was locked and no matter how hard I yanked and push it wouldn't budge! I was just about to give up in despair when it suddenly creaked open. Startled, I stared at it blankly for a moment before thrusting it open completely. The room was empty save for an elevated disc in the center of the room. I grabbed the dog and collapsed on the disc.

"Pluto!" I shouted hoping against hope that there was enough power to take me that far. I knew the Senshi Princess of Pluto could never leave her home. Thus, she would be the only Princess left who could help me. The disc began to light up but all light faded from the hallway. I closed my eyes and held the dog tight as the light became too bright to see. When I opened my eyes again all I saw was darkness. My wish had finally been granted…


End file.
